Spartanburg Police Chief says firearm thefts on the rise, city to host buyback program
The Spartanburg Police Department is hosting a gun buyback program in response to rising gun thefts, according to Chief Alonzo Thompson.
The drive-through event will be at the lower section of Spartanburg City Hall from 8 until 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 30.
Individuals will receive $100 in VISA gift cards for handguns or long guns, and $150 for "high-powered weapons," Thompson said at the Monday, July 11 City Council meeting.
Thompson said 63 incidents, concerning a total of 71 stolen firearms, have been reported in Spartanburg so far in 2022. He said 36 firearms were reported stolen from vehicles with no signs of forced entry, compared to just five stolen firearms where there was sign of forced entry.
Thompson said gun thefts from vehicles are increasing nationwide.
"There are an estimated 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the United States, and more than one-third of homes contain at least one gun," Thompson added. "Roughly one gun is stolen every 90 seconds in the United States. That amounts to about 380,000 stolen guns every year, many of which are later used to commit violent crimes."
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District 1 Councilwoman Meghan Smith said it's important to address the issue of gun violence from a Spartanburg perspective.
Smith said creativity is necessary to reduce the number of guns in circulation within the city, since state "preemption" laws often make local legislation against firearms difficult to enact.
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Smith encouraged local businesses, churches and community partners to collaborate on funds for future buyback initiatives. Smith voiced hope that effectiveness of the buybacks will increase if even greater incentives can be offered to those turning in firearms.
"The goal is to talk about these issues," Smith said.
Identification is not required for turning in firearms, Thompson said. He added any guns bought back by the city will be destroyed. Gun locks can be requested from gunlock@cityofspartanburg.org or picked up from the Spartanburg Police Department records department.
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City Manager Chris Story said unallocated funds from the 2021-22 fiscal year will pay for the gun buyback program. Story said the initiative is expected to cost less than $10,000.
Another gun buyback event is planned for the fall.
Both Smith and Thompson said there is no official goal in terms of the number of weapons they hope to collect. They hope the July 30 event will set a precedent for any subsequent buybacks going forward.
"[The program] is in no way a panacea to stop all gun violence, but it is a way to help stop guns taken from vehicles .. .most were taken with forced entry," Thompson said.
Chalmers Rogland, a Wofford College graduate, covers public safety and breaking news for the Herald-Journal. Reach him via email at crogland@shj.com. Find him on Twitter @CRogland.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg PD to host gun buyback program, $100-$150 per firearm
